Marcus Bachmann, the congresswoman's husband since 1978, reportedly was eligible for Swiss citizenship due to his parents' nationality - but only registered it with the Swiss government Feb. 15. Once the process was finalized on March 19, Michele automatically became a citizen as well, according to Honegger.

I am getting some serious WTF vibes here. Does she know something that means being able to flea to an impenetrable little country at the drop of a nuke will protect her and her children?

Sorry folks, because she was elected to office she gets Top Secret clearance automatically, how else could Alcee Hastings even have a chance to get on the Intelligance comittee after he got bounced as a Federal Judge.

Disgruntled Dave:Sorry folks, because she was elected to office she gets Top Secret clearance automatically, how else could Alcee Hastings even have a chance to get on the Intelligance comittee after he got bounced as a Federal Judge.

Can you be a congress person and have dual citizenship? Before someone answers that, remember that a lot of Mexicans legally in America possess dual citizenship. So be careful because you might unite latinos with tea baggers

Eh, I don't see the big deal. I hope to have dual citizenship with Trinidad someday, through marriage, just so my blond-haired blue-eyed audibly-from-America ass can tell strangers that I am a citizen of Trinidad and Tobago, doesn't mean I want to live there.

Britney Spear's Speculum:Can you be a congress person and have dual citizenship? Before someone answers that, remember that a lot of Mexicans legally in America possess dual citizenship. So be careful because you might unite latinos with tea baggers

Yes. If she loses her citizenship, however, she would be booted out. At this point, she can do any number of things to lose it, but from what I read in the article, she hasn't yet.

What I wonder is if she is require to serve her conscription requirements? While serving in a foreign military isn't enough, becoming an officer is, and swearing any kind of oath of allegiance is as well, or taking any kind of Swiss government job.

Also, when in the entire history of the United States of America has anyone who was even for a brief moment considered a front runner for their party's nomination for president promptly gone and gotten themselves dual citizenship with a foreign state? It seems pretty disloyal.

Her status as a Member of Congress outweighs her dual citizenship as it pertains to security clearances.

Also, as far as I can tell (and it's wiki, so take it with a grain of salt) both Spiro Agnew and Michael Dukakis would have been dual US-Greek citizens, under Greek law.

Arthur Honegger, a reporter for public broadcaster Schweizer Fernsehen, told POLITICO the Swiss consulate in Chicago has confirmed that the former Republican presidential candidate became a citizen March 19.

haemaker:What I wonder is if she is require to serve her conscription requirements? While serving in a foreign military isn't enough, becoming an officer is, and swearing any kind of oath of allegiance is as well, or taking any kind of Swiss government job.

Not exactly. It is possible to lose US citizenship if one does those things with the intention to relinquish US citizenship. The State Department explicitly states:

The Department has a uniform administrative standard of evidence based on the premise that U.S. citizens intend to retain United States citizenship when they obtain naturalization in a foreign state, subscribe to a declaration of allegiance to a foreign state, serve in the armed forces of a foreign state not engaged in hostilities with the United States, or accept non-policy level employment with a foreign government.

Emphasis mine.

One could lose US citizenship if one takes a "policy level position in a foreign state" -- if one works at the Swiss DMV or as the Zurich city dog-catcher, one is not at risk of losing one's US citizenship but it may be a possibility if they take a job as a Swiss legislator.

Personally, I have no problem with people acquiring dual citizenship, even US government officials. It certainly makes travel easier. While Switzerland isn't part of the EU, they are part of the Schengen Agreement and so Swiss citizens can travel and live freely throughout Europe. As an American living in Switzerland for graduate school and generally annoyed with the amount of fees and paperwork needed for me to live and study here, I'm somewhat envious.

In a few years when I (hopefully) finish the PhD track I'd like to move back to North America to be closer to family and friends. My wife and I are considering Canada, as they have good research opportunities, reasonable cost of living (in most areas), and seem to have their heads less up their ass than the US.

Endrick:"Congresswoman Bachmann's husband is of Swiss descent, so she has been eligible for dual-citizenship since they got married in 1978. However, recently some of their children wanted to exercise their eligibility for dual-citizenship so they went through the process as a family,"

Mom, you've what's wrong with the country and we want out.

Heh, I was trying to do the same thing. But the Irish laws are annoying such that my Cherokee stepmom has a right to Irish citizenship and I am working my ass off to not get deported from Europe.

IHadMeAVision:Eh, I don't see the big deal. I hope to have dual citizenship with Trinidad someday, through marriage, just so my blond-haired blue-eyed audibly-from-America ass can tell strangers that I am a citizen of Trinidad and Tobago, doesn't mean I want to live there.

I think I'm going for Spanish citizenship. Which means that I have to say I'm loyal to the king of Spain. The USA doesn't recognise it, but doesn't anull my US citizenship. Which means I would be a bi-national but not a dual national with each country refusing to acknowledge I am a citizen of the other.

heypete:One could lose US citizenship if one takes a "policy level position in a foreign state" -- if one works at the Swiss DMV or as the Zurich city dog-catcher, one is not at risk of losing one's US citizenship but it may be a possibility if they take a job as a Swiss legislator.

Which would be why I wasn't in danger of losing my US citizenship when I took a teaching position that was on the payroll of the Vietnamese Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Anybody who has followed Bachmann's career knows of her disdain for America and is therefore not suprised by this. However, even the most cursory investigation shows Bachmann taking Swiss citizenship is far more sinister then may appear.

Consider: Switzerland is supposedly a neutral country. Yet it has a highly trained, well equipped, military of over 200,000... who's job it is to guard the Pope! Therefore, Bachmann is a puppet of papal global hegemony!! Also, the Pope is know to have been a member of the Nazi Party so it would seem obvious that Bachmann is part of a larger Catholo-Nazi cabal!!

My head is still spinning over this. I know people who were born and raised in Switzerland who can't get citizenship there (especially given the role of local councils), but Bachamnn has no problem? Automatic for her and her kids?

/married to Canadian//absolutely nothing automatic about my status in Canada